Portal on EC/EDI for Trade(eTrade) in India
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The Project

The eTrade project is a coordinated effort to implement EC/EDI for trade in various trade regulatory and facilitating agencies like Customs, Sea Ports, Airports, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Container Corporation, Export Promotion Organisations (EPO), Exporters, Importers, Agents and Banks. These agencies have established electronic interfaces between them as well as with the trading community to facilitate electronic delivery of services. The phase I of the project covers 35 locations of Customs, all 35 locations of DGFT, 8 international airports, 12 major sea ports, all 38 EXIM locations of CONCOR and banks across the country especially covering 106 major export intensive locations. The objectives of this project are to facilitate electronic delivery of services on 24X7 basis; to simplify procedures; to provide 24 hour access to users with their partners; to make procedure transparent; to reduce the transaction cost and time and to introduce international standards and best practices. The salient features of the system are as follows:

 
  • The project has empowered the trade and industry to have a transparent system for international trade, wherein they would be in-command to have anywhere anytime access to all the trade regulatory/facilitating agencies.
  • In view of speeding up the clearance process, Customs is implementing a Centralised server system for which hardware has been commissioned and the porting of applications on these systems is under process. The EDI for export transaction at Central Excise is also being built using Central Server system. This system is being linked to webs of CONCOR, Airports, Seaports at single point only to streamline the message interface with community partners.
  • Electronic payments facilitation has been introduced by Customs, DGFT, Airports, Seaports and CONCOR. The drawback payments are now credited electronically by Customs in exporter Electronic payments facilitation has been introduced by Customs, DGFT, Airports, Seaports and CONCOR. The drawback payments are now credited electronically by Customs in exporter’
  • Electronic issuance of licenses using digital signature is operational at DGFT. The digitally signed electronic message exchange between Customs and DGFT for DEPB licenses is operational and is being operationalised for DES and EPCG schemes.
  • The complete import cycle is now operational between Customs and custodian and custodian and airlines, agents, importers etc. at IGI Airport. This is being operationalised at other airports also. The exports cycle is already operational at major airports.
  • Centralized Port Community System (PCS) is operational for all major ports for Vessel, Container Cargo and transport related messages. e-Payments are also being operationalised. This system provides a single window interface with all major sea ports.